Out of my mind – 2224hrs

In the space of four short hours I went from so loving this job, to “they can take it and stuff it up their ass sideways with a Freightliner attached”

Let me start with explaining what the “Macros” are all about:

On our QualComm, our “Macros” are basically pre-set forms, we call them up, fill in the blanks, and send it off.  Most of the Macros (Mac for short) are handled by “the system” automagically… things like Mac15 which gives us directions from point a to point b (we can put in ## to 90 which says; “GPS my location and give me routing from where I’m at to my delivery destination – the 90”).  We also have Mac27 which is give me the next available fuel stop based on me currently having X amount of fuel (you have to tell it how much you have, half a tank etc) and where I need to go.  It too gives you routing information.

Well, this past week an “edict” has come down that we can no longer deviate from Mac27, we must stop and fuel when it says and must follow that route to get there as company driver.  99% of the time, no big deal.

Tonight, however, my Mac15 told me to go from the 01 and take I88 to I90 into Illinois (headed to basically Chicago area).  HOWEVER, Mac27 says to take a bunch of back roads to go to Pittston and get fuel, then I80…a difference of 80+ miles from 01 to 90.  Okay.. call dispatch and explain what’s going on… get the “canned”… “Yeah, they’ve been cracking down on us dispatchers for allowing deviations, you need to follow your Macro 27”.

Um.. ok.  So I take off following the Mac27 directions… into HELL

Here are the directions (not that I think you’d wanna see it on a map…)
NY-10 S 24(miles)
NY-268 S 09
PA-370 S 06
PA-247 S 18
PA-296 S 05
US-6 W 19
I81 S 10

The only thing I can say is thank God the people through those little towns roll up their side-walks at night otherwise I’d be rolling down both sides.  It took me almost FOUR f’ing hours to go the 103 miles (should have taken me maybe 2) through some of the smallest god-damn country back rounds I’ve EVER been on in a vehicle!

There is no way in hell I should have been down the roads I was down tonight… all in the damn name of following stupid f’ing QualComm directions.  I am so going to be sitting down with my dispatcher and on the phone with Don Lacey (safety manager) raising such a f’ing stink about this.  I have NEVER been that scared in my damn life… I went over bridges tonight I KNOW I shouldn’t have been.  I had people in such a panic heading for the ditch because there wasn’t enough room for both of us…  I went through one town I swore I was going to rip all the wires down… to be honest… I never looked back.  I hit hills where I was LITERALLY, no joke, no BS in SECOND gear getting up and over… my damn mileage that WAS at 8.4 when I arrived at the 01 dead-head, is now at 1.2… I NEVER got it above 40 until I was ten miles out of the terminal

Oh and one more thing… the QualComm doesn’t mention that PA-268 f’ing ENDS a mile before PA-370 begins, no warning, no signs!… I had to roll (at about 5 miles an hour) down a SIDE RESIDENTIAL STREET for that mile to get to PA-191 which THEN allowed me to get on PA-370

And you wanna know the bottom line… it “saved” all of 47 f’ing miles than if I had gone all highway!!!

And just to add a little “sugar” to this shit dessert… the truck started acting up again about half way through the “adventure” tonight.

I should have been a good 200 miles further down the road tonight before I bed down… but I just don’t have it in me… so I’m gonna have to get up early… try to catch Rich and hope like hell I still have enough time to make this load.

Sitting in our Pittston, PA terminal… stewing  >:(